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Monthly Archives: March 2011

Notes from Green Business Network, February 2011. Presenter Alex Rowbotham, Research Fellow in Sustainable Innovation, Centre for Competitive Creative Design at Cranfield University.

SDI

Key stages of sustainable design:

Understand impacts – from a life-cycle perspective

Understand markets and company

Develop concepts

Employ design strategies

Design product

Bring to market

SDI also addresses end-of-life issues such as recycling, re-manufacture, re-use, energy recovery and new concepts on how to use.

Business Support Programme

£20m Low Carbon Innovation Fund from ERDF/private co-investment specifically for SMEs in the East of England and €35m p.a. Eco-Innovation Funding available.

Cranfield University are working with the East of England Development Agency, Business Link. Manufacturing Advisory Service, Cambridge University and UEA on the SDI programme. The goals are to embed sustainable innovation, support early stage innovation and promote knowledge transfer.

Cranfield University have a range of tools and knowledge to work with SMEs to support the practice of sustainable innovation and develop greener products and services.

Interested then contact Alex Rowbotham on 01234 750111 ext 2143.

Further information on the Low Carbon Innovation Fund can be found on www.lowcarbonfund.co.uk or get advice from Business Link on 08457 171615.

Government statement on the RHI scheme designed to encourage the take-up of low-carbon heating systems:

This is a new market for the UK. The RHI tariff scheme, which we [DECC] will shortly be asking Parliament to approve, will stand alongside the Renewables Obligation and Feed in Tariff scheme to send a strong signal of support to the renewables sector.

By 2020 we [DECC] estimate that the renewable heat sector will have grown to include around:

13,000 installations in industry;

110,000 installations in the commercial and public sector, supplying 25% of the heat demand in these sectors;

This is seven times the number of anticipated installations in 2014.

Anything from a pub to a public library, a school to a power plant will be eligible under the RHI to install technologies like biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar thermal. Community projects will also be eligible, provided a single installation is providing heat to more than one house.

The tariffs will be paid for 20 years to eligible technologies that have installed since 15th July 2009 with payments being made for each kWh of renewable heat which is produced.

Once in the scheme the level of support an installation will receive is fixed and adjusted annually with inflation. However, as with feed in tariffs, we [DECC] expect the levels of support available for new entrants to the RHI scheme will decrease over time as the costs of the equipment and installation reduce through economies of scale.

The Energy Bill introduced to Parliament on 8 December 2010 includes provision for a new “Green Deal” which the Government believes will revolutionise the energy efficiency of British properties. The Government is establishing a framework to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through a charge in instalments on the energy bill. It is anticipated that the Green Deal will be launched in Autumn 2012. To qualify for the Green Deal, expected savings in typical properties consuming a normal amount of energy must be equal to or greater than the cost of the measure.

Interestingly the measures installed must have been recommended for that property by an accredited, objective adviser who has carried out an assessment. The Government is reviewing options for carrying out the assessment of commercial buildings, including the corresponding EPC.

For commercial property landlords the Government is proposing powers to require landlords to bring their property up to a defined threshold before it can be rented out again, subject to there being no up-front financial cost to landlords (using Green Deal finance or equivalent).

The main driver for UK legislation remains the Climate Change Act to reduce total emissions by 80% by 2050.

Changes to BR Parts L & F contribute towards this in a three pronged attack by setting tougher standards, improving compliance and improving tools and procedures.

A Ministerial Statement on 16/12/2010 outlined the work required for the 2013 BRs. This included:

2013 BR will represent the next step towards zero-carbon building.

Provisions will be considered for the existing stock.

Higher levels of compliance will be ensured, looking at enforcement and incentives.

The UK already has a zero-carbon goal for non-domestic buildings by 2019. This suggests a continued aggregate 20% reduction in 2013, 2016 and 2019 against the 2002 baseline.

Lynne Sullivan, RIBA wanted to see cost option appraisals developed, so fabric improvements could be compared to active systems. Lynne also wanted to see greater understanding of the implications for constructors and users, and for better accredited details.

Renovation

The current 1,000m2 limit has been dropped from the ‘Recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive’. Governments are required to introduce requirements to introduce requirements for renovation of the building as a whole. This may include the upgrading of individual elements as well as the whole. This must be enacted by 9 January 2013 for public buildings and by 9 July 2013 for private buildings.

The ‘Recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive’ requires public buildings frequently visited by the public and over 500m2 to display energy performance certificates (currently Display Energy Certificates (DECs) in the UK) by 9 January 2013; and under 250m2 by 9 July 2013. These will also be mandatory for many larger private sector buildings.

All advertisements in commercial media concerning a building, or part of it, offered for sale or lease must state the energy performance from the certificate by 9 January 2013. Robert Corbyn, LCEA at Ecobuild suggested that Agents rather than landlords may become responsible for EPC production from as early as 1 July 2011. Also reported that the Government were considering combining EPCs and DECs.

Compliance

EPCs

A survey by Elmhurst Energy in October 2010 found the compliance level to be 35%. In 2007 there were 440,000 sales and leases of non-domestic properties yet only 223,000 commercial EPCs were lodged from Feb 2010 to Feb 2011, suggesting compliance in the order of 50%.

Enforcement has been woeful. There have been 7000 enquiries to Trading Standards yet only 14 TSOs out of 200 carried out any inspections. In three years only 23 penalty notices have been issued. A poor return from the £7.2m provided specifically to support enforcement.

It is to be hoped that the need for EPC ratings to be stated in commercial adverts and the possibility of agents being responsible will have a positive impact on compliance.

The supply chain view

A survey by the Construction Products Association, reported by John Tebbit at Ecobuild, raised lack of enforcement as an issue for suppliers. Without enforcement suppliers had less certainty of a return on their investment developing higher performing elements, services and low carbon technologies. John reported further that there was a feeling that builders were ‘getting away with it’. The change with BR 2010 where ‘as designed’ and ‘as built’ Part L compliance assessments was seen as hugely positive.

However, John reported real concern about the Notional building. Specifically setting unrealistic targets for small buildings. This was a problem for designers and there is real concern about likely 2013 targets.

For the next 2013 revision John was looking for better co-ordination between industry, Part L contractors and the DCLG.

Air conditioning

Air conditioning inspections have been largely disregarded by occupiers. One estimate put the compliance level at 4% (Mike Dankiwell, Space Airconditioning PLC). Concern has been raised but I have not picked up any specific suggestions on what might happen.

Jill Entwistle, a lighting designer, reported at Ecobuild that LED lighting had improved exponentially in quality over the last 2 years.

Mike Simpson, Philips Lighting provided some hard facts:

60W filament replaced with 12W LED

50W tungsten halogen replaced with 10W LED

26W compact fluorescent replaced with 17W LED (with 3 times the life expectancy)

A number of lighting designers (Lee Prince, Dominic Meyrick, Richard Bolt) showed slides at Ecobuild demonstrating how, using LED, you can have a luxurious lighting design and save energy e.g. backlit LED sheers, LED strips instead of tungsten.

Achieved examples included:

Hotel: Average lm/cw of 55, with full load of 9.8W/m2. Actual levels ranged from 3-6W/m2 in daylight hours to 5-6W in non-daylight hours.